Ryan Newman had top-five speeds in the last three practice sessions at Lowe's and will start the race from the second position. Credit: Autostock

Newman's Dodge fastest in Happy Hour at Lowe's

CONCORD, N.C. -- Ryan Newman paced a busy Happy Hour for the UAW-GM 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway as teams practiced in twilight conditions at the 1.5-mile track.

Inside the Chase Point standings entering Lowe's Driver Behind Qualified T. Stewart -- 4 R. Newman -75 2 G. Biffle -88 21 R. Wallace -90 27 J. Johnson -92 3 C. Edwards -95 8 M. Martin -113 6 M. Kenseth -116 18 J. Mayfield -157 37 Ku. Busch -224 7 Note: Johnson will start at the back of the field because of a blown engine in the second practice. UAW-GM Quality 500 •   Happy Hour Speeds •   3rd Practice Speeds •   2nd Practice Speeds •   1st Practice Speeds •   Race Lineup Outside poleNewman to start second despite breaking his old track record NASCAR MinuteAfter finishing 23rd, Newman looks to bounce back at Lowe's Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Newman completed 32 laps Friday, and all 43 starters spent extensive time on the track.

There were no incidents in either session, as track times remained consistently in the mid 28-second range.

Newman, who qualified second, ran a lap of 189.460 mph in the No. 12 Dodge to easily set the pace in the final practice. Tony Stewart, who ran 29 laps in Happy Hour, was second at 188.871 mph.

Newman is 75 points behind Stewart in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, and he knows he has to have a top-five finish to gain ground. Newman lost a lot of momentum when he was involved in an accident early last week at Kansas, but he's been fast at Lowe's.

"We definitely wish we were in Tony's seat right now, but you've just got to keep doing what you're doing," Newman said. "Hopefully, we can do that and get back on the track we were on before Kansas."

Chase for the Nextel Cup drivers made up six of the top 10 spots in Happy Hour. Jeremy Mayfield, who has struggled this week, was 29th in the third practice and 32nd in Happy Hour.

Stewart has been unstoppable in the second half, as he has 15 top-10s in the past 16 races.

"The points will fall where the points fall. Our ultimate goal is still winning the race. That pays the most points," Newman said. "[Stewart] has a nice margin, but that can be gone in one race."